Wheel structure



Sept. 21, 1943.

G. AQLYON WHEEL-STRUCTURE Original Filed Jan. 21

62026154281587 Z/a/v.

Patented Sept. 21, 19:43. I I

' I amer f W EE sTRUorUn-E fiThe present invention relates to a .wheelistructure, and .rnore" iparticularly to a: n'ovel'means forretainingaLwheel. cover member eithe'rrinthe form of 'a disk orxan -annulusronrthewheelx *1 I This subjectxmatternihas.beenrflivided from liq-As shownon thedrawing'zi .1

.my 'copending application.Serial No.-375,l73; now

Patent .-.N 01: 2,304,584; filed: January 21; 1941. 1. T.

An obj ect of this invention is toprovide'a whe'el structure wherein adepressed: tire bead;retain-. ing portion of the wheel nrim part may. beiutii- Llized infthe retentionrof a cover'member on: the wheel. 9 i IAnother object of this invention is to provide improved springretainingfmeans for detachably and resiliently holding a wheel coveron'an automobile wheel.

Still another, object of this invention is toprovide a cover withresilient retaining means of such construction that it will readilycooperate with a depressed tire bead retaining portion formed in thetire rim of a wheel.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there isprovided in a'wheelstructure including a body part and a multi-flangeddrop center rim part, which includes an outer axially extending flangehaving a hump, a cir-' cular cover member having a rolled outer vedgeand having fastened to its outer marginal portion resilient retainingmeans positioned with afree extremity to the rear of the rolled. edgeand having its extremity slightly raised'for yieldable a aThe referencecharacter In designates gene .erally almulti-fianged drop': center typeofxtire rim which comprises "one part of the conventionalautomobilefwheel. 2' This tire rim part: includes a base :flar'i'ge. l lfastened by any suitablev means to alcen'tral :wheel body paritiorvspider J2- which is of pconvexeconcavecrosst section and includes thefusualwentral' bolt-on flange iIIiGt'fShOWll) by means fofp'which lth'eiwheel imay be suitably fastends radially inwardly and as a consequence5 provides an annularhump or protuberance i4.

snap-on cooperation with the hump in thetire.

rim.

In accordance with other features of this invention, I provide a wheelcover having its outer edge rolled in such a manner that the resilientretaining split ring may be fixedly secured to the ,cover by means ofthe rolled or turned edge.

Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear fromthe following-de- I tailed description taken in connection with thetened to a support; oicishaftassembly; The. tire rim. partil fl; has oneof its axially; extending? outer flanges provided with a depressionwhich ex- Each rim part is provided with twoof these annulardepressions, one on each side of the base flange, and spaced apart so astohave seated in them the tire beads of the tire disposed in the tirerim part. The purpose of these depressions,

as is now known in the art, is to prevent sidewise shifting of thetire'beads upon sudden rupture or deflation of the automobile tire.

It is an object of this invention to utilize one of these depressedsections or humps l4, namely, the outermost one when the wheel ismounted, ,as a means for aiding in the retention of a wheel covermember," designated generally by thereference character 15a, on thewheel. 'The" wheel cover member I5a may be made in the form of a soliddiskor hub cap, as is shown in Figure. 1,

or may be in theformof an annulus, as shown Such a cover member may, forexample, be made accompanying drawing which illustrates severalembodiments thereof, and in which: Figure 1 is a fragmentary crosssectional view' through a circular automobile cover having a wheel coverheld thereon by a split retaining ring; I I I Figure 2 is a fragmentarydetailed view taken on. the line II-II of Figure 1 looking downwardly atthe retaining means;

Figure'3 is a fragmentary cross'sectional view similar to Figure 1 butillustrating a modified form of retaining ring; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary detailed view taken in the modificationillustrated in Figure3.,

The cover member, irrespective of which form a of retaining means isused, there beingtwo different forms illustrated in this application, ispreferably stamped from relatively thin sheet metal such as stainlesssteel or the like and, of course, may be suitably ornamented as desired.

from sheet metal having a thickness of .020".

In the first form of cover member illustrated in section in Figure 1, aswell as in the other form shown, the cover member has a cross sectionalshape conforming generally to the outer cross sectional configuration ofthe rim and body parts ofthe wheeL- I I In both form of my invention,the cover is easily applied to thewheel by merely pressing it axiallyinto the position shown in Figures 1 and 3, at which time the retainingmeans, described hereinafter, are in cooperation with the rear side ofthe hump I 4 of the tire rim part, It). To re- TM 3-lookmg down move thecover all that is necessary to do is to insert a pry-off tool orscrewdriver under the outer rolled edge and to then exert a fulcrumedpry-off pressure against the cover; the fulcrum for the pry-off toolbeing the rim part 10 itself.

ring I'Ia also has a humped or upwardly bent free yieldable extremity[9a adapted to be sprung or cammed over the hump or depressedsection'lfiifi 1 a the rim part. It should be noted that the ring isbacked up throughout a substantial portion 'of its width by the outermargin-'ofthe "ooverpart against which the ring bears, as shown in r-gii1al portion to expand and contract in the manure 1.

annulus instead of a solid disk and has its'louter marginal edged rolledor turned as indicated at In the modification shown in Figures 3 and 4,t t the wheel cover member |5b is in the form of an" .wention, thespl-it characteristic of the ring I511. Fastened to theionter Marginalportion a of the coyermember iifib just-inward oflthe turned edge 16?)is a rearwailly. efitendingitpi t resilient flb, which has'alhumped freeif!!!- tremity'. IE1: adapted to bear againsttherear side of the hump i4inzthetire pant. spring retaining means; asinthe case of theotherfomi ofthe invention, is at the outer margin-Jot the eover'memberbut difiersfrom the previoustforin of retaining means in that a is'secured to thecover member by being'weldeid thereto as desig natedat-Zfl m: 4.Otherwise, this modi fied form of cover cooperates with the rim part inthe same way as in the previously described form.

In both forms of the invention, the free bent end or extremity of thesplit ring is normally of a diameter slightly in excess of the insidediameter of the hump l4, so that this extremity must be deflectedradially inwardly, as it is ,passed over the hu'mp'fli': Eyen whenextremity of the ring i iin retaining cooperation with the wheel vbehindthe hum [4, it is still not in its normal position but is slightlydeflected inwardly and as agcbnsequence is under tension and applies aresilientvcover retaining pressure to the rear side of thehu'mp (4.Also, in both forms of the inflea-:1 ihjpermits of its inner or rearedge or mar- GEORGE; we.

